Alternative Tourism in Ukraine

17.06.17

In many regards, traditional travel has lost touch with its original intent. When we set out to travel, we set out to expand our minds, learn new things, see new sights, or breathe new air. What we’re often served, by the traditional travel market, is a watered-down and emotionless version of what travel once was. If you're tired of being a tourist, an alternative travel trip may be the perfect opportunity for you to see Ukraine in a new way.

Discover world-class happenings and celebrations as well as quirky local festivals choosing the event tourism. With so many different festivals, religious/cultural events and sport activities, Ukraine is a great destination for this. Summer festival season in Ukraine starts spinning. Ukraine is not the main destination for music fans and festival enthusiasts, however it looks like the lineups of Ukrainian music festivals in 2017 are going to change that. With the world famous musicians performing on stages all over Ukraine, the summer of 2017 will become memorable for many music fans of most different genres. Read: Summer Festivals in Kyiv 2017

Another alternative kind of tourism that is quickly gaining popularity around the globe is industrial tourism. It focuses on the beauty of factory sites and plants. Fans of industrial tourism find grandeur and beauty in what many see as unsightly sources of pollution. That conflicting sensibility is inherent to industrial tourism around the world, as remnants of industry’s past and bastions of its present draw visitors who are curious about society’s growth over time. One of the most popular industrial tourism destination of the world is located in Ukraine. This is Chornobyl nuclear wasteland. It may be centuries before the area around Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant is safe enough for habitation. Until then, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster has become one of the world’s most chilling tourist attractions.

The trend of rural tourism (also referred to as green- or ecotourism) has recently hit Ukraine. Rural tourism in Ukraine is still relatively new sphere of business and type of travel. However, green tourism is gaining its popularity among local and foreign travelers really fast. Rural tourism offers a whole unique range of additional travel experiences, such as staying in a place, that you can call ‘home away from home’, enjoy authentic food of the region cooked by people that are hosting your stay and your money helps the development of local community.

Rural tourism in Ukraine has developed considerably in recent decades and now offers a warm alternative that includes accommodations in the rustic atmosphere in the heart of nature, with delicious meals from the best local products. There is a wide range of guest rooms, family vacation units or pampering wooden cabins with breathtaking views of the landscape, either scattered along sea side of southern Ukraine or perched on mountaintops and hillsides of Carpathian Mountains.

And talking about delicious meals from the best local products, it is worth mentioning that Ukraine is also a great destination for culinary (or gastronomy tourism). The number of various food festivals happening all over Ukraine during the year is truly impressive. The Transcarpathian region is famous for its wine and cheese festivals; Lviv is flocked with thousands of tourists during its annual coffee and chocolate festivals, and Kyiv, being the capital of Ukraine, offers a bland of food festivals of almost all imaginable themes and kinds. Read: Summer 2017 Street Food Spots in Kyiv

Many experienced travelers these days try to get back in touch with the roots of travel. And why are they actually doing it. It’s about curiosity, experience, and mental stimulation. Traveling by alternative means offers wonderful side-effects that conventional travel lacks.Photo source: shutterstock.com

A pioneer of post-Soviet Era of Real Estate market in Ukraine, Terry Pickard founded his company way back in 1992. During those 25 years, Pickard Real Estate & Asset Services has opened a line of specialized divisions, offering services in brokerage, leasing, and property management. Sure enough, Mr. Pickard faced multiple challenges of opening and sustaining business in a foreign country, yet he managed not only to overcome those, but find one more passion in his life. By founding The Connoisseur Club, Terry Pickard gathered fans of exquisite fine dining, who review various cuisine restaurants in Kyiv. Now he shares his challenges and achivements while living in Ukraine as well as his expectations about the future.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations expects the world population to reach 10 billion people by 2050, which will boost demand for food. Can Ukraine leap at the chance and become a key player in the food market? What windows of opportunity are open today? Vladyslava Rutytska, a member of National Reform Council, vicepresident of SigmaBleyzer and AgroGeneration, has shared her views on these and other topical agribusiness issues with us.